Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-04-24

msturity-near perfection, certain class
of reformers would reverse the rule of
progress sne diminish personal freedom
on the theory that our grandfafners and
the generations before them had too
nuch. 80
Exactly how much of maA's natural
liberty it is proper to take from him in
well ordered society it is ofstcourse i'm
possible TO fix in general terms, but il
seems to me clear that there is no such
unerring and intrinsic evilin the making
OF WINE and beer as a Beverage that it
should be put within the category Of
criminal Offenses. -
There are many thousand Germans in
Southern Texas whose habits are fixed,
and whose educ stiOn and prejudices are
such that an amendments like the one sub
mitted will grind them as unqualifed
tyranny. The pOlicysoi Texas legislation
has ever been to respect the varying con-
ditiOns Of diverse sections and populs
tions scattered over our large territory,
and many statutes now in our codes end
with LING lists of exempted counties, to
which particular l&ws have been deemed
inapplicable. But the proposed amend
ment disregards thls settled policy, and,
in convenient pArase, prohibition rakes
the state from border to border.
II it was provided only that the expert
ment might be made through the method
of legislative act It would be less arbi-
trary, for if thoroughly bad such an act
could be repealed. If good in part the
bad could be separated and the remainder
preserved. Theft, forgery, arson and
even murder are left to the influence of
ordinary laws, but making beer and wine
and cider must forsooth be dealt with by
the constitution.
So vital an innovation upon the habits
to which this and past generations have
been accustomed should not be made
without practical unsnimity among the
peoples. A wise legislator would never
think Of enforcing his ideas by penal laws
until the people to be affected had been
brought to general approval of his views
Fifty-tive per cent. of the voters ought
never to assume to make that q crime
which the other 40 per cent. esteem as
among their dearest rights. The hand of
rule is an iron hand and an oppressor's
hand when it lays hold of me 10 compel
nay conformity to my neighbours habits,
and do not feel that have any commits
sion under the principles of republican
government to use my ballot to force nv
theories of health and diet upon my
neighbor.
The old maxim tells Us that the will of
the people is the supreme law. If by the
twill of the people" is meant the power
to improve and administer the immemO-
rial functions of government, through
ourselves, then American institutions
have been a blessed revelation of free
dom and advancement to the world: but
if the "will of the people" means that
dreadful might of numbers by which bare
ms Orities shall feel privileged to force
upon unwilling thousands, whom the
chance of a particular election throws
into the minority, habits of life contrary
to their tastes and insulting to their indi-
Viduality, then the problem of true civil
liberty is yet to be worked out.
If the prohibitOry amendment
should be carried it will be
simply the foundation stone of
innovation. Strong laws will be passed
to enforce it, and when these are found
to be Ineffective new and dangerous
remedies will be called for, and, meeting
the same fate, they in turn will be fol-
lowed by more complicated seventies,
until, after piling one novelty on the
other, the project falls to the ground as
an Rbject failure in One-hslf of the state
and in the other a total departure is made
from the ordinary modes of trial and
punishment. Such consequences, l trust,
may be averted by q decisive majority
against the amendment. The convention
called at Dallas deserves a general atten-
dance and support, and such l hope it
will receive. Yours respectfully,
HORACE Chiffon.